Drunk on Beauty: Jingzhou, a Captivating City
Jingzhou is known worldwide for the popular novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and has gained fame through Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou and Guan Yu losing it.
Jingzhou, a land of outstanding people and profound historical and cultural heritage, has a city-building history of over 2,600 years. It is the cradle of Chu culture, creating a Chu culture that rivals ancient Greek Athenian civilization.
Since 689 BC, King Wen of Chu established the capital in Ying (now Jinancheng, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City), lasting 411 years through 20 Chu kings. Six dynasties and 34 emperors made it their capital, making it a well-deserved "City of Emperors."
Looking back on Jingzhou's history, it is closely linked with the 5,000-year civilization of China. The Chinese nation is descended from the Yan and Yellow Emperors. After the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor tribes united and unified China, they "divided the land into nine provinces" (Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, Yong), and Jingzhou was one of the ancient nine provinces.
From "the world's first upright official" Sun Shu'ao to Zhang Juzheng, the chief grand secretary of the Ming Dynasty's Wanli period, 138 prime ministers came from Jingzhou, making it a true "City of Prime Ministers."
From the patriotic poet Qu Yuan to Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, and Lu You, many literati and poets stopped in Jingzhou to enjoy the scenery and compose poems, leaving behind timeless lines such as "Leaving at dawn the White Emperor crowned with cloud, I've sailed a thousand miles through canyons in a day." The title "City of Poetry" is well-earned.
Jingzhou, anciently called "Jiangling," was the capital of the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Located in the south-central part of Hubei Province, in the hinterland of the Jianghan Plain, the Yangtze River runs through the city from west to east for a total length of 483 kilometers. It is one of the first 24 famous historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council.
Jingzhou connects Wuhan to the east, Yichang to the west, Changde in Hunan to the south, and Jingmen and Xiangyang to the north. In 2012, it was selected as one of the "2012 Top 200 Characteristic Charm Cities in China." It is an excellent tourist city in China, known as the "Steel Waist of the Yangtze River Economic Belt."
The city has numerous tourist attractions, beautiful scenery in all four seasons, and delicious snacks that will satisfy your appetite. As long as you come, you will have unexpected gains, see the beautiful scenery you want, and enjoy a wondrous journey that spans ancient and modern times, seeing a thousand years in one glance.
Major attractions in the urban area include: Jingzhou Ancient City Wall, Binyang Tower, Jinfeng Square, Jiulong Bridge, Guandi Temple, Guan Yu Shrine, Jingzhou Museum, Jiulao Xiandu Scenic Area, Zhongshan Park, Zhanghua Temple, Wenhu Park, Jingzhou Expo Park, Jingzhou Ocean Park, Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage, Wanshou Pagoda, and so on.
As a travel and photography enthusiast, and a native of Jingzhou, I have traveled to many famous mountains and rivers across the country and written dozens of travel notes, but I have never written an article about Jingzhou. It's a bit regrettable. A heavy snowfall in 2024 woke me up and reminded me to show off the beauty of Jingzhou, to talk about and praise our Jingzhou. This year's snowfall was particularly heavy and long, and the freezing rain was also more striking, making Jingzhou, wrapped in silver, even more beautiful and captivating.
Below, I will share with you the snow scenes of Jingzhou taken this year and some major attractions photographed in Jingzhou urban area over the years.
1. Jingzhou Ancient City
Jingzhou Ancient City is located at a transportation hub connecting east and west, north and south. It has always been a strategic point for military forces. The city was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The current Jingzhou Ancient City was last rebuilt in the third year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, built on the original site and preserved to this day. It is "a rare intact ancient city wall in southern China."
The Jingzhou Ancient City Wall was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relic protection unit. Due to its well-preserved and complete structure, it ranks second among the seven major ancient city walls in China. It has joined with the other six in a joint application for World Cultural Heritage status.
The total area of Jingzhou Ancient City is 4.6 square kilometers, with a city wall circumference of 10.5 kilometers, a height of 8.83 meters, and six city gates, each with a tower on top. It is said that to prevent the foundation from sinking and flooding, the stone joints of the ancient city base were poured with glutinous rice paste, making the wall particularly strong.
The Jingzhou Ancient City has three layers: the outermost is the water city, the middle is the brick city, and the inner is the earth city. The moat is 10,500 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 4 meters deep, connecting Taihu Lake to the west and Changhu Lake to the east, linked with the ancient canal. Originally, there were six city gates: East Gate, Small East Gate, North Gate, Small North Gate, West Gate, and South Gate.
Except for the Small East Gate, the other five gates consist of two gates forming a barbican. After the founding of the People's Republic, three more gates were opened: New East Gate, New South Gate, and New North Gate, all without barbicans. The original six gates each had a tower: Binyang Tower, Wangjiang Tower, Jiuyang Tower, Qujiang Tower, Chaozong Tower, and Jinglong Tower, among which Qujiang Tower and Jinglong Tower are the most famous.
2. Zhanghua Temple
Zhanghua Temple, located in Taishiyuan, Shashi, Hubei Province, is a famous Chu temple. It is listed as one of the three major temples in Hubei, along with Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang and Yuquan Temple in Dangyang, and is a key provincial protected unit.
According to the temple's stele inscriptions, it was first built during the Taiding period of the Yuan Dynasty, around 1325 AD. It was later destroyed by war and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The temple buildings cover an area of 12,000 square meters.
In front of the temple is a mountain gate. Entering the gate, the central building is the Heavenly King Hall, with the Drum Tower on the left and the Bell Tower on the right. Behind it are the Mahavira Hall, Skanda Hall, Guanyin Hall, Amitabha Hall, Sutra Depository, Meditation Hall, Recitation Hall, Jingyue Hall, Dining Hall, Guest Hall, and other main buildings. The entire complex is grand and magnificent.
Inside Zhanghua Temple, there is also a millennium-old ginkgo tree. Every autumn, the ground is covered with golden ginkgo leaves, adding another scene to the temple and attracting large numbers of citizens to visit.
3. Shashi Zhongshan Park
Zhongshan Park was built in 1933 and completed in 1935, covering an area of 18 hectares. Later, it was expanded. Currently, the park covers about 74.62 hectares (1,119 mu), making it the largest park in the Jianghan Plain and the largest Zhongshan Park in China.
On May 11, 1965, a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China re-inscribed the park's name during his inspection of Shashi.
The park features 18 attractions, including the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Children's Playground, Bonsai Garden, Chu Plum Garden, Zoo, and Juansnow Tower. Among the ancient attractions that have been fully preserved are Zhongzheng Pavilion, Chu Cloud Pavilion, Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Sun Shu'ao's Ancient Tomb, Wohong Bridge, and the South Gate.
Especially the Chu Plum Garden in the park, covering an area of 12,000 square meters, is planted with nearly 400 plum trees of five varieties, including Gongfen, Yudie, and Lve. When snowflakes fall, the plum blossoms in the garden bloom in competition, attracting a constant stream of visitors who come to take photos.
4. Jingzhou Expo Park
Jingzhou Expo Park is built on the shore of Changhu Lake, covering an area of 1,550 mu. The park is dotted with 44 exhibition gardens, including 17 from Hubei cities and prefectures, 11 from Jingzhou counties and districts, and 16 garden works exhibition gardens.
The park is divided into different thematic areas, forming a spatial structure of "one center, one corridor, and five zones." The "one center" refers to the China Chu Culture Museum as the center; the "one corridor" is the landscape corridor built along the Meihu Lake shoreline; the "five zones" refer to the five different cultural themes and landscape areas: Chu Yun, Chu Yuan, Chu Yun, Chu Feng, and Chu Yi.
The entire park is seamlessly connected, forming an integrated spatial structure for welcoming guests, exhibitions, sightseeing, and leisure, vividly showcasing the expo theme of "Glorious Chu, Water Town Expo."
5. Jingzhou Guandi Temple and Guan Yu Shrine
The temple is located inside the old South Gate of Jingzhou Ancient City. It was first built in the 29th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1396 AD), rebuilt during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, repaired in the 7th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, rebuilt in the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty with the addition of the Chongsheng Shrine, and rebuilt again in the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign. The current Guandi Temple was rebuilt by the original Jiangling County government. It is located at the site where Guan Yu once governed Jingzhou. It is one of the earliest Guandi temples in the world and the only one built on the site of Guan Yu's official residence.
The original Guan Yu Shrine was built in the early Ming Dynasty but was destroyed by Japanese invaders during the war. The existing building was rebuilt in 2007, located on Xiejia Mountain near the South Gate of the ancient city. It was built by the people of Jingzhou to commemorate Guan Yu, hoping to pass on Guan Yu's spirit of loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and courage to educate future generations.
The entire Guan Yu Shrine has the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties. To the south, it leans against the brick city wall of Jingzhou Ancient City, while the east, west, and north sides are integrated with the earth city wall. The entrance and exit of the Guan Yu Shrine are close together. After entering the scenic area gate, you can walk counterclockwise along the small path inside the scenic area to visit.
6. Zhang Juzheng's Former Residence
Zhang Juzheng was a famous politician and reformer in Chinese history, as well as a renowned thinker and writer of the Ming Dynasty. Li Zhi called him "the outstanding prime minister."
Zhang Juzheng's former residence is located inside the east gate of Jingzhou City. It was a temporary residence when Zhang Juzheng returned to his hometown in the 6th year of the Wanli reign to bury his father. This is a Ming and Qing-style garden building with a layout of five entrances and four courtyards, east rooms and west garden, covering about 7,000 square meters. The residence includes the Grand Master's Residence, Orchid Hall, Pouri Tower, and an exhibition of "Illustrated Mirror of the Emperor."
In short, there are many more scenic spots and attractions in Jingzhou worth visiting. Due to space limitations, only part of the beautiful scenery can be shown here. Everyone is welcome to come and visit in person.
